Chinua Achebe's literary legacy

CaptionChinua Achebe with Nelson Mandela in South Africa

Anna Zieminski / AFP Getty Images

Chinua Achebe, left, Nelson Mandela in South Africa in 2002. Achebe was awarded an honorary degree of doctor of literature and delivered the third Steve Biko Memorial Lecture at the University of Cape Town.

Chinua Achebe, left, Nelson Mandela in South Africa in 2002. Achebe was awarded an honorary degree of doctor of literature and delivered the third Steve Biko Memorial Lecture at the University of Cape Town. (Anna Zieminski / AFP Getty Images)

"It would be impossible to say how 'Things Fall Apart' influenced African writing," African scholar Kwame Anthony Appiah once observed. "It would be like asking how Shakespeare influenced English writers or Pushkin influenced Russians. Achebe didn't only play the game, he invented it."

"It would be impossible to say how 'Things Fall Apart' influenced African writing," African scholar Kwame Anthony Appiah once observed. "It would be like asking how Shakespeare influenced English writers or Pushkin influenced Russians. Achebe didn't only play the game, he invented it." (Greg Martin)

Chinua Achebe has been called both the father and grandfather of African literature, a legacy that began with the publication of "Things Fall Apart" in 1958 and will continue beyond his death in March 2013. Here are some of the writers who have cited him as an influence.By Carolyn Kellogg